Method for manufacturing tool handle

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing a tool handle includes preparing a handle member having one or more projections, attaching a panel onto the projection of the handle member, attaching a covering onto the panel and the projection, the covering includes a peripheral flange. An outer sleeve is then molded onto the handle member, and is engaged with the peripheral flange of the covering, to retain the covering and the panel to the handle member. A peripheral groove may be formed on the handle member and around the projection, to receive the peripheral flange of the covering. A concave chamber may be formed in the covering, to receive the panel and the projection of the handle member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing tool handle, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing tool handle having a decorative or identifying panel attached thereto or provided therein.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The most typical tool handles comprise a handle body having a molded outer sleeve or outer covering attached thereto and made of rubber or resilient plastic materials, for allowing the tool handles to be comfortably grasped or held by users.

Normally, the outer sleeve or outer covering is subjected with a printing process, for applying marks, decorative patterns, identifying words, standard graduations, or the like, onto the outer peripheral portion of the outer sleeve or outer covering. However, the printed patterns or marks or words may be easily become faded after use.

For allowing the marks, the decorative patterns, the identifying words, the graduations, or the like, to be solidly attached to the tool handles and to be prevented from being disengaged or become faded from the tool handles, some of the tool handles include the marks, the decorative patterns, the identifying words, the graduations, or the like, directly extended from the tool handles and extended outwardly through the outer peripheral portion of the outer sleeve or outer covering.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,009 to Hoepfl et al. discloses a typical tool handle including raised indicia provided on or extended from an inner body, and extended through or flush with an outer gripping body. However, the raised indicia are required to be formed or molded on the inner body, such that the raised indicia may not be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,870 to Lo discloses another typical tool handle including a number of decorative blocks to be attached onto a handle body, and engaged into cavities of a cover sleeve of the handle body. However, the handle body have no anchoring or securing device to engage with the decorative blocks, such that the decorative blocks may have a good chance to be disengaged from the handle body after use.

In addition, similarly, the cavities are also required to be formed or molded on the cover sleeve with expensive mold device, such that the cavities may not be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,460 to Lo discloses a further typical tool handle including a number of peripheral projections extended outwardly from a handle body, and a cover sleeve engaged onto the handle body, and arranged to have the peripheral projections extended out of the cover sleeve.

However, similarly, the cavities and the peripheral projections are also required to be formed or molded on the cover sleeve and on the handle body with expensive mold devices, such that the cavities and the peripheral projections also may not be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words or indicia thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,629 to Niccolai discloses a still further typical tool handle including a number of grooves formed on an outer protective coat. However, similarly, the grooves are also required to be formed or molded in the outer protective coat with expensive mold devices, such that the grooves also may not be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words thereon.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional method for manufacturing tool handles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing tool handle including a decorative or identifying panel attached thereto or provided therein and that may be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words thereon.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a tool handle, the method comprising preparing a handle member having a middle portion, and having at least one projection extended from the middle portion of the handle member, preparing and attaching a panel onto the projection of the handle member. The panel includes an indicia provided thereon, A covering is then prepared and attached onto the panel and the projection of the handle member, the covering includes a peripheral flange extended outwardly therefrom. An outer sleeve is then molded onto the handle member, the outer sleeve may be engaged with the peripheral flange of the covering, to retain the covering and thus the panel to the handle member. The panel may thus be attached and retained between the projection of the handle member and the covering, and may be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words or gradustoins or indicia thereon.

A peripheral groove may further be provided or formed on the handle member and may be disposed or located around the projection, to receive the peripheral flange of the covering, and/or to anchor or secure the covering to the handle member with such as force-fitted engagements. A concave chamber may further be provided or formed in the covering, to receive the panel and the projection of the handle member, and thus to further stably retain the panel to the handle member.

A front peripheral protrusion and a rear peripheral protrusion may further be provided or formed on the handle member, to form and define a peripheral recess between the front and the rear peripheral protrusions and in the middle portion of the handle member, the projection is extended from the middle portion of the handle member, and extended into the peripheral recess of the handle member.

The panel may further be attached or secured onto the projection of the handle member with adhering material.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustrating a tool handle to be manufactured with a method in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tool handle;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the tool handle, taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a prototype for manufacturing the tool handle with the method in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 5, 6 are partial exploded views illustrating manufacturing processes for making the tool handle; and

FIG. 7 is a partial cross sectional view illustrating the molding operation of the method for manufacturing the tool handle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a method in accordance with the present invention is provided for manufacturing a tool handle 1 which comprises a handle body 10 including a front peripheral protrusion 11 and a rear peripheral protrusion 12 formed thereon or extended therefrom two end portions, to form or define a peripheral recess 13 between the peripheral protrusions 11, 12 or in a middle portion 19 thereof, best shown in FIGS. 3, 7.

The tool handle 1 includes one or more projections 14, 15, 16 extended from the middle portion 19 of the handle body 10, and extended into the peripheral recess 13, and preferably includes one or more peripheral grooves 17, 18 formed around some of the projections 15, 16 respectively, to form a prototype as shown in FIG. 4. One or more decorative or identifying plates or panels 20, 21 may further be provided and attached onto the projections 15, 16 respectively (FIG. 5) and may be printed or formed or applied with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words or graduations or indicia 22 thereon.

One or more protective coverings 30, 31 may further be provided and attached onto the panels 20, 21 and the projections 15, 16 respectively (FIG. 6), and each may include a peripheral flange 32, 33 extended laterally and outwardly therefrom, for engaging into the peripheral grooves 17, 18 of the handle body 10 respectively, best shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The coverings 30, 31 may be made of transparent or semi-transparent materials, for allowing the delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words or graduations or indicia 22 of the panels 20, 21 to been seen through the transparent coverings 30, 31.

For example, the peripheral flanges 32, 33 of the coverings 30, 31 may be engaged and secured in the peripheral grooves 17, 18 of the handle body 10 respectively with such as force-fitted engagements, to anchor or to secure the coverings 30, 31 to the handle body 10, and to prevent the coverings 30, 31 from being disengaged from the handle body 10.

Each of the coverings 30, 31 includes a concave chamber 34 formed therein, for receiving the panels 20, 21 and/or the projections 15, 16 respectively, and thus for safely and stably retain the panels 20, 21 and the projections 15, 16 within the coverings 30, 31 respectively. The panels 20, 21 may further be solidly or stably attached or secured onto the projections 15, 16 of the handle body 10 respectively with such as adhesive materials.

The tool handle 1 further includes an outer sleeve 40 to be attached onto or molded onto the handle body 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the prototype of the handle body 10 and the panels 20, 21 and the coverings 30, 31 may then be disposed in or engaged into a mold device 50 which includes a lower mold piece 51 and an upper mold piece 52 having a mold cavity 53 formed thereon for receiving the prototype of the handle body 10.

As also shown in FIG. 7, after the prototype of the handle body 10 and the panels 20, 21 and the coverings 30, 31 have been engaged into the mold device 50, it is preferable that the peripheral protrusions 11, 12 of the handle body 10 and the coverings 30, 31 are engaged with the mold device 50, to form or define a peripheral space 54 between the prototype of the handle body 10 and the mold device 50. A material, such as rubber or plastic or synthetic or resilient material, may then be injected or filled into the peripheral space 54 between the prototype of the handle body 10 and the mold device 50, in order to form or to mold the outer sleeve 40 on or onto the handle body 10.

It is to be noted that the decorative or identifying plates or panels 20, 21 may be printed or formed or applied with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words or graduations or indicia 22 thereon with such as painting, printing processes or the like, and may be stably attached to the handle body 10 with the coverings 30, 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the molded outer sleeve 40 may be engaged with the peripheral flanges 32, 33 of the coverings 30, 31, to stably retain the coverings 30, 31 and thus the panels 20, 21 to the handle body 10.

Accordingly, the method for manufacturing tool handle in accordance with the present invention includes a decorative or identifying panel attached thereto or provided therein and that may be printed or formed with delicacy or beautiful patterns or marks or words thereon.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. A method for manufacturing a tool handle, said method comprising: preparing a handle body having a middle portion, and having at least one projection extended from the middle portion of the handle body, preparing and attaching a panel onto said at least one projection of the handle body, said panel including an indicia provided thereon, preparing and attaching a covering onto said panel and said at least one projection of the handle body, said covering including a peripheral flange extended outwardly therefrom, and molding an outer sleeve onto the handle body, said outer sleeve being engaged with said peripheral flange of said covering, to retain said covering and thus said panel to the handle body.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising forming a peripheral groove on the handle body and around said at least one projection, to receive said peripheral flange of said covering.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising providing a concave chamber in said covering, to receive said panel and said at least one projection of the handle body.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising forming a front peripheral protrusion and a rear peripheral protrusion on the handle body, to form and define a peripheral recess between said front and said rear peripheral protrusions and in said middle portion of the handle body, said at least one projection being extended from said middle portion of the handle body, and extended into said peripheral recess of the handle body.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising securing said panel onto said at least one projection of the handle body with adhering material. 